Religion During Jim Crow
Pioneer Baptist: Exhibition on influential Rev. E.C. Morris and Centennial Church details role of religion during Jim Crow: Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette – Aug. 22
A new interactive exhibit tells the story of a Black minister and former slave whose influence — from the pulpit to politics to business — stretched far beyond his home in Helena. “He is one of the most understudied Black figures in Southern life during that time,” says John M. Giggie, associate professor and director of the Summersell Center for the Study of the South at The University of Alabama, who assisted in the early stages of the exhibit. “His abilities to create a dense network of Black denominational culture for Baptists was really remarkable. No one of his generation did the same thing.”
Dauphin Island
Barrier Island marine ecosystem altered by storm events: Phys.org – Aug. 23
Coastal areas are popular places to live and visit. Every summer, families load up their cars and head to the beach for a few days of relaxation. In Alabama, one destination is Dauphin Island, a small barrier island three miles south of Mobile Bay.
Tuscaloosa Patch
Coastal News Today
Performing Arts Academic Center
Part of historic hospital razed at University of Alabama: Associated Press – Aug. 24
The east wing of the historic Bryce Hospital building is being demolished because of its structural problems, University of Alabama officials said. The demolition is part of a larger plan to transform what once was Alabama’s largest in-patient psychiatric facility into a new performing arts facility.
Crimson White
Tuscaloosa News
Albany Democrat-Herald
Times Free Press
Capital of the Black Belt
Reggie Jackson: My journey to visit Selma, Alabama and the history some want us all to forget: Milwaukee Independent – Aug. 24
… Smithsonian Magazine wrote an article about Pettus in 2015. “The bridge was named for him, in part, to memorialize his history, of restraining and imprisoning African-Americans in their quest for freedom after the Civil War,” says University of Alabama history professor John Giggie. “Pettus believed that American civilization could not survive without slavery.
Paintings by Bryce Speed
CR presents ‘Imagination and Crisis: New Paintings by Bryce Speed’: Redheaded Blackbelt – Aug. 24
… The artist also embraces the possibility that painting can connect form and idea via a visual language unique to the medium. Bryce Speed has taught at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, Metropolitan Community College, and is currently Associate Professor of Art in Painting at The University of Alabama.
Birding
Classes in the great outdoors: Birds and birding: Tuscaloosa Patch – Aug. 24
With the pandemic well into its second year, many people are seeking escape from their electronic devices and finding time to enjoy nature. One of the easiest ways to enjoy the great outdoors and pick up a new hobby while doing so is birdwatching.
Miss University of Alabama
Isabella Powell finishes two-year tenure as Miss University of Alabama: Tuscaloosa News – Aug. 24
Isabella Powell competed in 23 preliminaries before she collected her first title on the Miss Alabama qualifying circuit. Now, at age 23 and as a graduate of The University of Alabama, she is finishing two years as the reigning Miss University of Alabama.
Montgomery Symphony Orchestra
Montgomery Symphony Orchestra’s free Broadway Under the Stars Pops Concert returns Thursday: Montgomery Advertiser – Aug. 24
The sounds of musical theater favorites will drift over Montgomery again on Thursday. The free Broadway Under the Stars Pops Concert brings the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra back to the Great Lawn at Alabama Shakespeare Festival in Blount Cultural Park. Jamie joined The University of Alabama faculty in the fall of 2020 as Director of Orchestral Studies and Instructor of Music. Jamie conducts the University of Alabama’s Huxford Symphony Orchestra and teaches courses in Conducting, and Honors Intro to Listening.
Voice Porter
Brian ‘Voice Porter’ Hawkins, Birmingham artist/poet, dies at 42: Birmingham Times – Aug. 26
… Jahman Hill, a poet, playwright and adjunct professor of gender and race studies at The University of Alabama, said Voice Porter was his mentor. Hill said he is still processing the impactful loss to Birmingham Voice’s death has caused. “He was my introduction to poetry in Birmingham through Bards and Brews, Hill said. “On Sundays at the Carver Theater, I would drive an hour to Birmingham just to be a part of the scene and he would remember me. When I was nobody, he gave space and celebrated every performer on the mic.”
Alabama Heritage
UA’s Alabama Heritage celebrates 35 years of publishing: Tuscaloosa Patch – Aug. 26
In 1986, under the editorship of founder Suzanne Wolfe, Alabama Heritage published its first issue. Now, 140 issues later, the magazine marks 35 years of publishing.
Plastic Waste Crisis
UA researchers tackle plastic waste as part of national effort: Tuscaloosa Patch – Aug. 26
Working to help solve the global plastic waste crisis, University of Alabama researchers are developing new ways to break down plastic materials as part of a national initiative. A $2 million grant to UA chemical engineering and chemistry researchers is one of eight research awards in a $16-million effort from The National Science Foundation’s Engineering the Elimination of End-of-Life Plastics, E3P, program.
Football Season Opener
University of Alabama instructor claps back at Miami fan’s Bama diss track: Tuscaloosa Thread – Aug. 28
A University of Alabama instructor and Tuscaloosa-based author calmly clapped back Saturday evening after a Miami fan shared a parody rap track dissing the Crimson Tide ahead of their season-opening showdown against the Hurricanes in Atlanta next Saturday.
Touchdown Alabama